


Under Your Skin

by Ecaus12



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:13:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2454326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecaus12/pseuds/Ecaus12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have to say thank you to my roommate, Becca, for the AU idea! And thank you to Kristina for the tittle help!</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            Ali was the kind of girl who always did what was expected of her. She was the responsible child growing up. She never did anything outlandish or spontaneous.

            And Ali hated that. She wanted a little spice in her life for once. That was exactly why she was standing outside this tattoo parlor. It was also why she hadn’t gone inside yet, she was too nervous.            

            From the outside, the place was very intimidating. The windows were tinted so that it was hard to see inside. “Scarred for Life” was written in large blue and black lettering on the sign above the door. Various signs advertised tattoos and piercings light up the windows.

            She took a deep breath and reminded herself that this place had the best reviews online. Not to mention one of her best friends got her tattoos done here.

            That best friend was late. She checked her watch, 3:10. Ella had promised to meet her there at 3.

            One more deep breath, and she walked through the door. The chime of the bell announced a new customer, which gained the attention of the blonde behind the counter. She looked up from her sketches, “Hello, how can I help you?”            

            “I’m looking into getting a tattoo,” Ali said shyly. The woman behind the counter had a friendly smile, but she was still a bit intimidating. She had a full sleeve of tattoos down her left arm. She was also noticeably tall and built like she worked out often.

            The blonde’s smile faded to a frown, “I’m afraid we don’t do that here.”

            Ali’s eyes when wide and she looked around frantically. Had she walked into the wrong place?

            Another chime sounded, “Stop messing with the poor girl, Harris.” Ella said. She hugged Ali and smiled, “Don’t listen to her, she’s just being an ass.”

            “Oh, good,” Ali was still a bit nervous.

            “Is Erin in?” Ella asked.

            “Yeah, she’s with a client right now.”

            “Oh. Well, Ali this is Ashlyn Harris, co-owner of _Scarred for Life_. Ash, this is my best friend, Ali Krieger.”

            Ashlyn walked around the counter and shook Ali’s hand, “Its nice to meet you.”

            “Its nice to meet you too.” Ali smiled.

            “So, what are you interested in? Tattoo wise, that is?” Ashlyn winked.

            Ali’s cheeks flared red, “Um, I want to get the world ‘love’ in German on my forearm,” Ali pointed to the spot on her arm that she wanted the tattoo.

            Ashlyn’s face turned serious as she thought, “About how big?”

            Again, Ali demonstrated on her arm.

            “Have any idea about font or color? I would suggest black, but I know sometimes people want colored letters,” Ashlyn went back behind the counter and began scribbling things down on a note pad.

            “I want the font to be something light and flowy, cursive. I want it to look sharp, but also still feminine. But I’ll give you come creative license on that. And I do want it in black,” Ali nodded.

            “Alright. I have to admit, I’m not brushed up on my German, so if you could be so kind as to write down the proper spelling,” Ashlyn set down a pen and paper in front of Ali with a big smile on her face.

            “No problem,” She wrote the world _liebe_ down in very neat handwriting. Ashlyn took it and looked at it very closely for a minute.

            “I think I’ve got some ideas. I’ll whip up a couple sketches for you. Why don’t you take her out to get some food in her and comeback when you are done? I’ll be done by then,” Ashlyn turned her attention to Ella.

Erin walked out from the back of the shop with a gruff biker looking man who now had his upper arm wrapped up.

            “If you guys can wait for me to ring up this gentlemen, I’ll join you for lunch,” Erin smiled.

            “Sure thing,” Ali said. They sat down in the waiting area. Ali took a chance to look around. In contrast to the outside, the inside of the parlor looked very classy and friendly. The front counter was actually a surfboard repurposed on top of a glass case, which displayed pictures of recent pieces the artists have done. The walls where a color of blue that reminded Ali a lot of the ocean. It was very calming, which was surely the intended effect.

            There was a black leather couch and several stylish armchairs positioned around a class coffee table in the waiting area. On the other side of the lobby was a table with books of pre-drawn up tattoos you could choose from in you so choose.

            “You are 100% sure you want this right?” Ella asked one more time.

                        “Yeah, I’ve thought about it.” Ali said, but to be honest, she was a little nervous.

            “Alright, Ashlyn, you have everything handled here?” Erin said as she came back out form behind the counter.

            “Yes,” Ashlyn saluted, “I’ll try not to burn the place down,”

            Erin rolled her eyes and signaled the other two to follow her out.

            Ashlyn watched as they left, her eyes lingered on Ali. She smiled to herself before sitting down to start her new clients sketches.

 

 

            The three women sat down at a local café for a late lunch.

            “Make sure to eat something filling and drink some water, the last thing I need is another client passing out on Ashlyn,” Erin said to Ali without looking up form her menu.

            “What?” Ali’s eyes went big as she looked from Erin to Ella, back to Erin.

            “Erin!” Ella slapped Erin on the arm.

            Erin smiled, “I’m joking. Ashlyn is very good at what she does. I wouldn’t have gone into a shop with her otherwise,”

            “That’s better,” Ella seemed a little happier.

            “You’re in good hands with her,” Erin continued to reassure Ali.

            “She did my side tattoo,” Ella added, “I trust her very much.”

            “Who did your other tattoos?” Ali asked.

            “Erin did,” Ella glanced over at Erin. She thought back fondly to those days, that was how they had met. Ella had wandered into the shop one day and was instantly drawn to the older women in a beanie and thick-framed glasses.

            “Ah, right,” Ali remembered now.

            The women enjoyed a nice lunch and conversation before returning to the shop. Ali grew more nervous as the time approached. As much as they kept reassuring her, she wished Erin could just do her tattoo. But, Erin was also they main tattoo artist at the shop, she was booked weeks, sometimes months in advance. It was hard to get in with her.

            “Is my 4 o’clock here yet?” Erin asked as the trio walked into the shop.

            “Yup, she’s right over there,” Ashlyn motioned over to the waiting area.

            “I’ll see you guys later,” Erin kissed Ella on the cheek before heading over to great her client.

            Ashlyn walked out form behind the counter, “How is my newest victim- I mean client?” She smirked at the brunette.

            “Ready to get this tattoo,” Ali said confidently.

            “Alright, take a look at these. If you want something different, or if you want to tweak them at all, just speak up. I want it to be _exactly_ how you want it.” Ashlyn said before spreading out 3 different sketches of the tattoo.

            Ali examined each design carefully before selecting the first one that Ashlyn had set down.

            “Alright, do one last check that its spelled right, then I’ll go make a stencil and we will get it started!” The blonde smiled.

            Ali took one last look at it before handing it back over to Ashlyn.

            “You excited?” Ella grasped her shoulder.

            “Yeah,” Ali smiled.

            “Do you want me to come back there with you?” Ella asked.

            Ali hated when people, especially her friends, saw her in pain. She shook her head, “No, I’m good on my own. Thanks though,”

            Ali followed Ashlyn back and took a seat in the chair Ashlyn indicated.

            “Alright, so the placement I suggest would be right here,” Ashlyn gently set the transfer down on Ali’s arm.            

            Ali was a little taken aback at the energy that ran through here at the other woman’s touch, “That’s perfect,” The brunette smiled up at Ashlyn.

            Ashlyn smiled back before transferring the stencil to her arm, “Alright, take a look at that in the mirror, make sure you like the placement. Once I start there’s no going back,”

            Ali stood up and looked at it in the full-length mirror. She turned her arm and looked at it form all angles. It wasn’t even real yet, and she already loved it, “Its perfect!”

            “Take a seat and get comfy. I’ll get everything ready,”

            Ali took her seat and watched as the taller women got everything ready. Ashlyn sat down across form her; tattoo gun in hand, “You ready?’

            Ali nodded, “Ready,” she could feel the butterflies in her stomach, and she was pretty sure it wasn’t because she was nervous about the tattoo.

            Ali watched how the blondes arm muscles flexed as she began working the tattoo gun against her skin.

            “So what’s your story?” Ashlyn asked as she focused on her work.

            Ali pulled her attention away from the woman’s arms, “well, Ella is my best friend. She said you did her tattoos, so I decided I wanted my tattoo done by you too.”

            “Ah, so what does this tattoo mean to you?” The blonde looked up for a second, meeting Ali’s eyes.

            “Um, well I lived in Germany for a couple years. I’m actually fluent in German. I absolutely loved my time there, so I decided to get the word for love on my arm. But it also kind of encompasses my family as well. When I lived over there, the only German my brother ever managed to learn was ‘Ich liebe dich’ or ‘I love you’. So it reminds me of him too.”

            “Are you and your brother close?”

            “Yeah. We are like two peas in a pod, and I don’t get to see him nearly enough,”

            “Well, that’s a shame. I have a brother too,” She focused for a second on her work before continuing, “he’s my whole world,”

            “Do you get to see him often?” Ali asked.

            “”Unfortunately no. He still lives in Florida, that’s where I’m from.”

            “Yeah, my brother lives all the way out in California. So its hard to see him” Ali nodded.

            Ashlyn paused, “How are you feeling? Need a break?”

            “No, I’m good. Honestly doesn’t hurt that bad.”

            Ashlyn nodded, “Alright. Just stop me if you need a break, don’t want you passing out on me.”

            “I’m good,” Ali smiled.

            “I’m very impressed with your pain tolerance,” Ashlyn said as she started back up on the tattoo.

            “I’ve felt worse,” Ali said. She shook the thoughts form her head.

            “Its amazing how pain can be put into perspective,” Ashlyn could sense something in the woman’s voice, something she understood.

            “Yeah. So, what’s with your tattoos?” Ali changed the subject.

            “Well, I have quiet a few, but I’m assuming you mean my sleeve. I’ve always loved Greek mythology. So I got a sleeve of my favorite myths.”

            “Its very pretty. What are your other tattoos?”

            “I could show you sometime, if you would like” Ashlyn winked, which made Ali blush hard. _This girl is smooth_ , Ali thought.

            “Maybe I would.” Ali went out on a limb and flirted back.

            “Is this your first tattoo?” Ashlyn asked.

            “Yeah.”

            “Well. I have to say, this is a pretty cool first tattoo. If it doesn’t get you laid at least once, I would be disappointed.”

            Ali felt her cheeks flair a deep red, but she didn’t get a chance to say anything.

            “So, are you seeing anyone?” Ashlyn pressed on.

            “Ah, not at the moment,” Ali mumbled.

            “Shame, a pretty girl like you, single?”

            Ali regained some of her composure, “I just haven’t really had time for a relationship.”

            “Why is that?”

            “Work eats up most of my time,” Ali admitted, “I’m married to my profession.”

            “What do you do?” Ashlyn asked with serious intrigue.

“Guess,” Ali began to smirk. She liked this game. This girl was confident, but she knew she would never be able to guess it right.

            “Do you work with Ella?”

            “Nope,” Ali shook her head, “Her line of works a bit too boring for my taste.”

            “Lets see,” Ashlyn shut off the tattoo gun and took a moment to access the girl in front of her and to get a drink of water, “Something in the medical field?” she started back up on the tattoo.

            “Nope,”

            “I give,” Ashlyn didn’t often give up, but this girl was an enigma. Or maybe she just liked to listen to her talk.

            “I’m a police officer,” Ali beamed.

            “No way,” Ashlyn said in disbelieve. _A fucking cop?_ Ashlyn shook her head and focused.

            “Way. Here to protect and serve.”

            “Well, I’m sorry if we’ve ever met in the past. And I’m even more sorry that I don’t remember it,” Ashlyn winked, “And that your tattoo is done.” Ashlyn wiped down Ali’s arm.

            “Ali looked down at the new ink on her arm, “I love it!” She studied it closely.

            “It will look much better once it’s healed up.”

            Ashlyn wrapped up the tattoo and instructed Ali on how to take care of it.

            “You are good to go,” She stood up and lead Ali to the front desk.

            “Thank you for the wonderful tattoo!” Ali said enthusiastically.

            “No problem. I’d love to see it when its healed up a bit. Would you like to go out next weekend?” Ashlyn leaned on the counter top.

            Ali was caught off guard, “Um, sure. I work Friday night. But Saturday I am off.”

            “Well,” Ashlyn scribbled down her phone number down on a sticky note, “you can shoot me a text sometime this week and we can figure something out if you would like”

            Ali took the sticky note and slipped it into her pocket, “I think I just might.”

            Ashlyn felt the butterflies in her stomach as the brunette smiled at her one last time before exiting the shop.

            Erin watched the exchange. _Damn it Harris._

            “Flirting with the clientele again I see?” Erin’s words ripped Ashlyn out of her own world and into the real one.

            “I wouldn’t be the first one, now would I?” Ashlyn smirked.

            “Hey, no need to get defensive,” Erin threw her hands up, “It was just an observation.”

            “I like her. How long have you known her?” Ashlyn asked.

            “She is Ella’s best friend. So, as long as I’ve known Ella. Why?”

            “I don’t know. I’m just curious,” Ashlyn smiled.

            “All I can say is, be careful. She’s a tough cookie to crack. I don’t know a whole lot about her and I’ve known her for probably 7 months now.”

            “Well, lets see if she gives me a call. That’s the first hurdle.” Ashlyn winked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say thank you to my roommate, Becca, for the AU idea! And thank you to Kristina for the tittle help!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its taken me so long guys! Ive had a lot of school work lately, so it was hard to find time!

            Ali laid on the floor of her apartment and absently flipped her phone in her hand, end over end.

            “Just text her already,” Ella said as she looked up form her paper work she was doing.

            “What are you talking about?” Ali asked.

            Ella sighed and set her work aside. She sometimes hated how stubborn her best friend was, “Erin told me Ashlyn gave you her number.”

            “Who’s to say I’d want to go on a date with her?” Ali countered.

            Ella shrugged. Ali had never dated a woman in the past that she had known of, anyways. Then again, neither had she until she met Erin, “I didn’t say it had to be a date. Maybe you guys could be good friends.”

            “I don’t think that’s what she wants,” Ali said absently.

            “Well, what do you want?” Ella asked.

            I’m not sure,” She admitted. She stared at her tattoo and resisted the urge to scratch it, “I think I would like to go on a date with her,” She looked up at Ella shyly.

            “Well, that’s ok, you know that right?”

            “Yeah, I know,” Ali nodded, “I just… I don’t have time for anything like that right now.”

            Ella sighed again, “Ali, we both know you have more than enough time.”

            Ali shrugged, “I don’t think I do...”

            “Ali, does this have to do with-” Ali cut her off before she could finish the sentence and stood up.

            “We are not talking about that, ok,”

            “Ali, I’m sorry. Its just you need to address it at some point,”

            “Don’t start to pull your social worker bull shit, Ella. You know me better than that.”

            “Ali, wait,” Ella stood up and followed Ali down the hallway.

            “Please, just leave me alone,” Ali walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

            Ella took a step back and ran her hands through her hair. _Fuck._ She pulled out her phone and called Erin.

            “Any luck with Krieger?” Erin asked as she answered the phone. Ella walked to her own room as they talked.

            “Afraid not, she shut down on me again. She said she doesn’t think she has time for anything like that right now.”

            “You tried to force her into talking again, didn’t you?” Erin shook her head even though Ella couldn’t see it.

            “She has to sooner or later. And I hope its sooner.”

            “Ella, you know better than to try and force it out of her,” Erin said as Ella vented her frustration.

            “I know, I just hate seeing her hurting because she won’t talk.”

            “Have you ever thought, if you stop pushing her so hard, she might come to you when she’s ready. You have to let her come to you on this one. When she’s ready, she will,”

            “I know. I know,” Ella huffed as she sat down.

            “In the mean time... we just have to force the two of them together. I think it would be good for Ali.”

            “What are you saying?” Ella was lost.

            “I’m saying, we just keep making sure they show up to the same events. Force them to spend sometime together.” Erin smiled, “It will work, I promise.”  
            “I like they way you think,” Ella smiled.

            “I think I might just have to have a cook out Saturday night,” Erin said with a smile in her voice.

            “That sounds perfect.”

 

            Ali both loved and hated working on Friday nights. They were usually busy, which kept her occupied. But it was also possibly dangerous. Fridays were a prime time for drunken fights and domestic disputes, which normally were easy to handle but always have the potential to get out of hand. and possibly deadly.

            She said a little prayer and kissed the necklace around her neck before she slid her bulletproof vest over her head and tightened the straps. She buttoned up her uniform and finished getting ready for her shift.

            “You ready for tonight, Krieger?”

            Ali turned at the familiar voice, “hey Brad. How’s it going?”

            “Not bad. Hoping for a quiet night. I have a date tomorrow night, so I don’t want to be too tired.”

            “Who’s the lucky lady?” Ali smiled.

            “A new girl, her name is Jessica,”

            “Well, I hope you guys have fun,”

            “Thank you Kriegs,” He smiled and patted her on the back, “Have a good shift.”

            “You too,” She smiled. She grabbed the keys to her cruiser and headed out.

            The thing she liked least about patrol was the large amount of down time. She always had far more time to herself to think than she would have liked.

            Usually the early evening was quiet. Friday’s really only got interesting after 10pm. So Ali spent most of the few daylight hours of her shift performing traffic stops and she answered a call about a loose dog in someone’s yard.

            Around 11, like clockwork, Ali walked into the convenience store on the corner of Main and State Street. Ali always came halfway through her shift to get coffee. She would never admit it, but gas station coffee was actually her favorite.

            “Hey Devin,” she waved to the store clerk as she walked to the coffee dispenser.

            “Hey Officer Krieger,” Devin was a tall kid, about 17 years old and 6’ 5”. His parents owned the store and he worked it almost every night.

            She went to the counter to pay.

            “We’ve had some thug looking kids hanging around outside the store lately. Could you look into it for us? My parents are getting kid of worried, and the last thing I want to deal with is getting robbed again.” He said as he gave her the change for her $20.

            Ali smiled, “of coarse. The last thing I want is for you to deal with that again.”

            A call came through on her radio and she held up a finger as she listened to the call.

            “Sounds like a bar fight at Hoolihan’s. We can talk about this later,”

            Ali dashed out of the store, leaving her coffee behind and hopped into her cruiser, flipping on the lights and peeled out of the parking lot. She could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her. Fights were always a tough one to deal with.

            Even from a distance she could see the fight that had now spilled out into the parking lot. She was the first one to get there, so she radioed in and stepped out of the car.

            “Police!” she announced herself. The presence of the cop car was enough to get most of the participants to disperse, but there were still two men on the ground and a tall blonde women standing over them.

            “Damnit Jace!” the blonde yelled before grabbing the man on top and dragging him off of the other one.

            The man on the bottom jumped up like he was going to go after them so Ali jumped between them.

            “Sit down!” Ali commanded.

            He didn’t comply so she quickly handcuffed him and sat him down on the ground.

            A second cruiser pulled up as she turned her attention to the other man who was being talked to sternly by the women who had pulled him off.

            “Talk to this one here,” She pointed the officer to the guy handcuffed, “I’ve got the other. They where wailing on each other when I got here.”

            Both men had cuts on their faces and bloody noses. She called rescue to come look at them.

            Ali walked up to the other man, “Alright, what happened?” she asked.

            The blonde turned around. Ali took a step back when she saw who it was. She wasn’t expecting to see Ashlyn here, or to see her with a black eye.

            _Of all the cops in this town, It had to be this one._ Ashlyn thought, as she ran her hands over her face.

            “Ashlyn, what’s going on here?”

            “He fucking tried to roofie my friend here,” Ashlyn’s friend slurred as he pointed accusingly at the other man. He wiped blood form his nose on the back of his hand.

            “Ok. Can I see your ID, sir?”

            He produced it and she left to run it before continuing. She brought it back to him, “Alright, Mr. Allen. Tell me what happened.”

            “You can call me Jace,” he said as he teetered on his feet a bit before electing to sit down on the curb, “I saw that bastard try to slip something into my friend Ashlyn’s drink. So I confronted him. He pushed me, next thing I knew I was kicking his ass,” he said.

            “And how did you get a black eye?” Ali tried to hide the concern in her voice.

            “I tried to get in the middle of them, to break it up,” Ashlyn laughed.

            “Jesus,” Ali shook her head, “Who hit you?’

            “Not sure,” Ashlyn shrugged, “One of the other guys who joined in. But they all dipped when you pulled up.”

            “I’ll go talk with the other officer. I’ll be right back.”

            She walked away slowly to confer with the other officer.

            “This guy says he was minding his own business when the other jumped him. Then all the others joined in.” the other officer said.

            “Mr. Allen over there said he saw this gentlemen slip something, possibly a roofie, into that women’s drink. He confronted him and that’s when the fight broke out.”

            The other officer sighed, “I guess we take both of them in. at the very least let both of them sober up a bit. Both are pretty hammered.”

            “Sounds good,” Ali agreed before returning to Jace.

            “Ok,” Ali said as she walked over, “Jace, can you stand up?”

            Jace slowly and unsteadily stood up, “You are under arrest for disorderly conduct and public intoxication,” Ali read him his Miranda rights as she cuffed him. He seemed to accept his fate, he didn’t even try to argue that he didn’t do anything wrong.

            “Also, I have EMTs on the way, would you like to be seen by them?”

            He nodded, “Yeah, I think I broke my nose.”

            “Ok. I’ll help you sit down while you wait,” she helped him down, then turned to Ashlyn.

            “Are you alright?”

            “Yeah, I’ve had worse,” She tried to shrug it off even though her eye was throbbing.

            “Are you sure? The EMTs can check you out too,” Ali asked.

            “Yeah. I’m fine. Hazards of hanging out with a rough and rowdy crowd. I’m more embarrassed than anything. This was not how I thought I’d be seeing you next,” Ashlyn chuckled a little in an attempt to hide her blushing.

            “Yeah, wasn’t really what I hand in mind either,”

            “So you were actually planning on texting me eventually? I was beginning to lose hope,” Ashlyn shook her head. She wouldn’t have said that normal, but she was still a little drunk, “I’m sorry. I really am. Jace is really protective of me. And I saw the guy pop something into my drink. I had already turned him down several times, for obvious reasons,” she laughed a little more, “And I had simply asked the bartender for a new drink. But Jace flipped out. That is not the first time I’ve had to pull him off of someone,”           

            “Well, go home. Ice your face and get some sleep. That’s a pretty sick shiner you got,” Ali said.

            “Will do. I really do hope to see you soon. Maybe under different circumstances next time. You have my number.”

            Ali smiled as she walked back to her cruiser.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres an update! it might take a little while for the next one because I have finals coming up, but I'll try my best!

            Ashlyn turned on the shower and waited for it to war up. She let the warm water pour over her in hopes it would wash away how she was feeling.

            She was embarrassed and ashamed. Which was unusual. She got into scuffles like that fairly regularly. Normally she would tell the tales around the shop the next day, and feel like a bad ass, having gotten a black eye in the process.

            Tonight felt different though. All she could see was the look on Ali’s face when she saw her. It wasn’t quite disgust… but something close. It was the look of someone losing respect.

            _Who was I kidding?_ Ashlyn thought. _A clean cut, most likely straight, cop was never going to go for some rough and tumble, tattoo artist who probably drank too much and hooked up with too many women._

            Ashlyn banged her fist against the tile and chastised herself. The last thing she needed was to hurt her hand. Her hands were her livelihood.

            She toweled off and put on sweatpants and a sports bra. She stumbled to the kitchen and wrote herself a note to remind herself to pick up her car in the morning. She took some aspirin and guzzled a couple glasses of water before getting an icepack from the freezer.

            She turned on the tv and laid down to ice her face. She wasn’t really sure why it was so different this time, but it was.

 

            Ali finished her shift with a lot of thoughts bouncing around her head. When she clocked out and got back to her locker she found a text form Erin.

            **Erin:** Hey Krieger! How’s the tattoo? I’m throwing a pool party/ cook out tomorrow (or when you get down with your shift, today) at 6pm. Feel free to come if you would like! And bring anyone if you wish! Except that Brad guy, he is not welcome back.

            Ali laughed at the memory of Brad getting so drunk off of wine coolers that he hurled in Erin’s pool. Not his finest moment.

            She responded back, knowing Erin was probably still asleep and said she would love to come. She changed into street cloths and headed home. When she got home she got ready for bed, but she couldn’t sleep.

            She laid in the dark, staring at Ashlyn’s name in her phone.

            _Just do it. Just text the damn woman._

            She slammed the bed with her fist.

            **Ali:** Just wanted to make sure you got home save ~ Ali

            Ali was surprised when she got a reply almost right away.

            **Ashlyn:** Ah, I see you didn’t lose my number after all. I took a cab home and I’m currently icing my face.

            **Ali:** Well good :) I’m surprised you’re still awake.

            **Ashlyn:** I couldn’t sleep.

            **Ali:** What are you doing tomorrow, around 6?

            **Ashlyn:** You mean tonight? I’m going to Erin’s pool party, why?

            Ali smacked herself on the forehead. Of coarse Ashlyn was already invited.

            **Ali:** I was going to invite you, but clearly you already are going… lol

            **Ashlyn:** Haha yeah. well, Im going to try and get some sleep. I cant wait to see you tonight!

            **Ali:** Good night. Cant wait to see what that shiner looks like tomorrow :)

            Ali set her phone down on the bedside table and was surprised by the grin plastered on her face.

 

            Ashlyn stared at herself in the mirror the next morning. Her black eye was a lot worse than she had anticipated. She couldn’t tell if the slight pounding in her brain was from the drinking or the blow to her head last night.

            She took some more aspirin and headed out to pick up her car. Once that was retrieved, she headed into work to see the two clients she had that day.

            “Damn, Harris, the fuck happened to you?” Jimmy said when she walked through the door of the shop.

            Jimmy looked like the kind of guy your mother would never let step foot in your house. He had been a tattoo artist for sometime; he rode motorcycles and he was covered in tattoos. His buzzed hair, pierced ears and smattering of neck tattoos made him intimidating. But, he was actually one of the kindest and most genuine people Ashlyn knew. And seeing him with his 4-year-old daughter melted her heart.

            “Jace got me sucked into yet another fight,” Ashlyn said as she clocked in.

            “Fucking Jace, man. What started it this time?”

            “An actually legit reason this time. He saw a guy slip something into my drink. Hauled off and punched the guy”

            Jimmy laughed, “What was this guy trying to do? No offense, but I feel like you are pretty easy to read. I wouldn’t make a pass at you in a bar.”

            “Yeah, I had already shut down his flirting several times. Not sure how he didn’t get the memo,” She laughed.

            “Well, I’m happy that Jace at least got into a legitimate fight this time,” Jimmy smiled.

            “Jesus, Ashlyn! What happened?” Erin spun Ashlyn around with a hand on her shoulder. Ashlyn repeated the story for Erin.

            “You look like hell,” Erin took a closer look at her face, lightly prodding at the swelling.

            “It gets worse. Ali was the first officer on the scene.” Ashlyn tried to not look at Erin’s face.

            “You have got to be kidding me,” Erin shook her head.

            “My luck, right?” Ash shrugged.

            “Well, you fucked that up before it even started,” Erin said as she rolled up the sleeves of her long sleeve button down.

            “Maybe not,” Ashlyn said as she put her hair up in a bun, “She texted me last night to make sure I had made it home alright. Then she invited me to your cook out tonight, but I told her I was already invited.”

            “Hmm. I guess you might not have messed it up. Maybe she was impressed with how you pulled Jace off the other guy,” Erin laughed and winked.

            “Maybe. I just wish I understood her deal. She seemed to like me a lot, but she never texted me like she promised.”

            “Like I said, she stays to herself mostly. Its hard to break through her shell,” Erin shrugged.

            “Well, I want to get to know her,” Ashlyn said.

            “You can sure as hell try,” Erin shrugged.

 

Ashlyn picked her biggest pair of sunglasses to hid the black eye as best as she could. In board shorts, a bikini top, a grey cut off t-shirt, flip-flops finished off the look. She looked perfectly natural next to Erin’s pool.

            “How does she do that?” Ella asked as her and Erin set up for the rest of the guests.

            “Do what?” Erin said as she set the cooler of beer down by the lawn chairs.

            “Look so good and so at ease no matter where she is?” Ella asked.

            “She’s just one of the gifted people,” Erin shrugged, “but it is kind of disgusting,”

            “How did she get so lucky? She’s got the total package,” Ella pouted.

            “Trust me, she’s far from perfect. She’s got her baggage, just like everyone else. Its just harder to see hers at first glance,”

            Ella was the first to see Ali come through the fence.

            Ali paused for a second when she saw Ashlyn by the pool. She looked so at ease. You would think it was her pool. Hell, you would think she owned the whole house.

            “Hey, Ali!” Ella waved at her, breaking her from her gaze.

            “Hey guys!” Ali walked over and slung her towel over the back of a chair.

            Ashlyn turned at the sound of Ali’s voice. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her. She wasn’t wearing anything particularly stunning, but she was breath taking in what she had on. And Ashlyn could tell she would be even more so out of what she had on.

            She was wearing running shorts and a plan white v-neck t-shirt. Through the white shirt she could see the pattern of the bikini top, the strings were visible outside of her shirt where they were tied behind her neck.

            Ali gave Erin and Ella hugs before she grabbed a beer and took a seat next to Ashlyn. Just as she had suspected a week ago, it wasn’t the tattoo that had made her nervous; it was the closeness to Ashlyn.

            “How’s your career in ultimate fighting going?” Ali asked as she knudged her with her shoulder.

            Ashlyn removed the sunglasses so that Ali could survey the damage.

            “Wow, maybe stick to your day job,” Ali laughed and grabbed the beer bottle from Ashlyn’s hand and swiftly used the glass edge to open her own.

            Ashlyn was impressed with the ease and deftness Ali did it.

            “Yeah, I’m not proud of last night,” Ashlyn said as she took her bottle back form her.

            Ali took a long drink from her bottle, “seems to happen a lot to you, according to your record anyways.”

            Ashlyn was floored, “What? You ran me?”

            Ali shrugged as if it was nothing, “I like to know who I’m dealing with,”

            “I cant believe you ran me,” Ashlyn said in disbelief.

            “I mean, you were involved in an altercation last night, I had to run you, for paper work purposes,” Ali smiled at her.

            Ashlyn knew she was in trouble, because that smile made it impossible for her to stay mad.

            “I don’t try to make a habit of it,” Ashlyn felt slightly ashamed.

            “Hey, I’m not judging, just observing,” Ali felt kind of bad; Ashlyn seemed embarrassed.

            “I feel like I should be kind of creeped out that you ran my record, but Im not. Do you think I should be worried?” Ashlyn asked as she looked at Ali.

            “Definitely, it means you’re already in too far,” Ali smiled, then stared straight ahead, quietly drinking her beer.

            Ashlyn fell silent when she realized she was right.

            _Well, fuck, no turning back now._ Ali took a pull of her beer.

            “Do you work next Friday?”

            “No, why?” Ali looked up.

            “Let me take you out,” Ashlyn said.

            “Out, on a date?” Ali cocked one eyebrow.

            “If that’s ok with you,” Ashlyn treaded lightly.

            “I’d like that,” She said. Her words sounded confident, but inside she was panicking.

            _I hope this is what you really want._ Ali thought to herself. _Here goes nothing._

            “Well, now that I have your number, I’ll text you with details,”

            “Where are we going?” Ali asked.

            “I haven’t decided yet,” Ashlyn regained some of her swagger, “But I have a couple of ideas”

            “Oh, do you?” Ali laughed.

            “I’ve got a couple,” Ashlyn pursed her lips and pretended to think.

            “Don’t hurt yourself now,” Ali nudged her with her shoulder.

            “Ouch,” Ashlyn clutched her chest, “I’m, a little offended.”

            “Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, I was only playing.”

            “Apology accepted,” Ashlyn took another drink of her beer, “Oh, let me see your tattoo. How’s it healing up?” She set her beer down and took Ali’s hand in hers before Ali could react and inspected the tattoo.

            “Its been a bit itchy, but otherwise its good,”

            “Looks like it’s healing nicely,” Ashlyn agreed. Her hands lingering just a bit longer than what someone might consider acceptable.

            “Apparently you are good with your hands,”

            Ashlyn looked up and met Ali’s eyes, “So I’ve been told,” and added a wink at the end.

            Ali blushed. Something about the smolder in the other women’s eyes was a little too much for Ali to handle so she looked down, “You are pretty confident, aren’t you?”

            Ashlyn leaned back and shrugged, “We all pull confidence form the things we are good at. You seemed pretty confident last night,”

            “I like to think of myself as a damn good cop,” Ali nodded.

            “See? Now who’s being cocky?”

            “I guess I get your point.”

            “Hey, Ash! Can you help me with the grilling, please?” Erin called across the yard.

            “Duty calls,” Ashlyn stood up and let Ali to finish her beer alone.

            Ali stood up and decided to mingle a bit. By now there were more people there. She grabbed another beer and found a cluster of people where she saw Ella.

            “Saw you talking to Ashlyn by the pool,” Ella said quietly.

            “I guess I agreed to go on a date with her,” Ali shrugged.

            “Oh really? What are you guys going to do?”

            “I’m not sure. I think she intends for it to e a surprise,” Ali shifted on her feet.

            “Well, I’m happy for you!” Ella smiled genuinely.

            “Thanks. I said yes, but now I’m not so sure,”

            “Oh, come on, its just one date. It won’t kill you. Hell, you might even have fun for once.

            “I have fun sometimes,” Ali scoffed.

            “Ali, this is the first social gathering you’ve been too in forever. You haven’t been on a date in over a year, which I understand. I get it. But you throw yourself into your work and I worry about out! You’ve been through a rough 2 years, but you need to find time for yourself,” Ella regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. They were far harsher than she had intended, and she knew this was neither the time nor the place for this conversation.

            “Ella, I love you. Don’t get me wrong, but you have no right to tell me what I need. You have no idea what I’ve been through,” Ali stormed away and Ella cursed herself.

            Ali tried to get as far away form everyone as possible, but the furthest she could get was Erin’s front yard. Where she happened upon a tall, skinny guy, covered in tattoos, smoking a cigarette.

            “Wanna smoke?” he offered her one.

            “No thanks, I don’t smoke,” Ali smiled meekly.

            “It’s a bad habit, I should probably quit.” He smiled and stowed the pack back in his pocket, “My daughter always hides them form me. She says she hates the way they make me smell,”

            “How old is she?” Ali asked.

            “She’s 4. And damn cute, I’m Jimmy, by the way. I work with Erin and Ash.” He offered his hand to Ali.

            She shook it, “I’m Ali, Ella’s roommate.”

            “Heard you broke up a fight last night. Ashlyn seemed pretty embarrassed,”

            Ali shrugged, “Its my job. And she has no reason to be embarrassed. She didn’t do anything wrong.”

            “But still. She likes you a whole lot. I think she’s afraid it would color your opinion of her.”

            “She likes me a whole lot?” Ali asked.

            “Yeah. Ash is a bit of a player, don’t get me wrong, but she never shuts up about you.”

            “Interesting,” Ali nodded.

            They fell into a silence as Ali thought and Jimmy sucked on his cigarette.

            “So, if you don’t smoke, why did you come out here?” He gestured to the empty front yard.

            Ali sighed, “My friends thin they know what’s good for me better than I do. But they don’t. So what if I’m a workaholic and I haven’t been on a date in almost 2 years? Trust me, it’s hard to date a cop. No guy wants to marry a cop, or I guess a woman either. It’s a dangerous and time consuming profession.”

            “You love what you are doing, right?”

            “Yeah. Couldn’t see myself doing anything else,”           

            “Well, that’s all that matters. You don’t have to find someone. Once you start doing what you love and stop worrying, they find you. If just falls into place. But don’t forget to have some fun along the way. Life is too short for it be all work and no play.”

            “I’m just not…” Ali stopped herself, unsure why she was spilling her guts to this stranger, “Its complicated.”

            “I know complicated,” He laughed and put out his cigarette, “ultimately your friends just car about you. Go back there and have some fun.”

            “I guess you’re right. I could loosen up a bit,” Ali looked down at her feet.

            “Don’t look so down. You are young, attractive, and you seem to be genuinely a nice person. And right now you are doing the best you can, that’s all anyone can do. Take life one day at a time.”

            “She asked me on a date, you know,” Ali blurted.

            “Yeah? And what did you say?”

            “I said yes. But I’m really nervous.” Ali admitted.

            “Why is that?” he leaned against the railing of the front porch crossed his arms.

            “It’s been so long since I was last on a date. And I’ve never been on a date with a women before.”

            “Well, I’m sure its no different than dating a man. Except women tend to be more polite,” he smiled.

            “I just… I’m not sure what people will think,” She admitted.

            “Fuck what people think. Do you think I pay much attention to what people think?” he said pointing to his neck tattoos and the two full sleeves that went down to his knuckles, “I knew that there are some people out there who are going to judge me for the choices I made. But they make me happy, that’s all that matters. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters.”

            Ali smiled, “You are very wise, Jimmy.”

            “You learn a lot about people when you work in a tattoo shop. For some reason people always open up to us. I think its because tattooing is such an intimate process.”

            “Well, thank you,” Ali smiled.

            “Come on, those burgers have to be almost done. Lets get some grub,”

            They walked back around the house and joined the line of people getting food.

            “Hey, would you like to eat with me?” Ashlyn walked up holding two plates full of food.

            Ali smiled. Jimmy nodded and shooed her on, “Yes I would like that,”

Ali took the plate from her and they found a spot to sit.

            “Are you alright? I saw you talking to Ella and then walk away upset,”

            “Yeah, I’m fine, its just-“ Ali hesitated, “Ella means well, I know she does. But sometimes she steps on my toes with the things she says.” Ali sighed.

            “She’s a worrier,” Ashlyn nodded.

            “She thinks the fact that I haven’t gone out on a date for almost 2 years is a reason to go out with you,”

            “Is that why you are going out with me?” Ashlyn set her food down.

            “NO, its why I’m terrified to go out with you, if we are being honest,” Ali couldn’t believe she was telling her this, but it felt easy with her.

            “Well, I promise it won’t be too much. Very friendly and at the end of the day, if you don’t want to call it a date, it can be just two friends getting to know each other, hanging out. Whatever you are comfortable with.”

            Ali smiled and put her hand on Ashlyn’s knee, “Thank you. That means a lot to me,”

            “I just really want to get to know you. Whether its as a friend, or something more. I’ll be happy with whatever you let me have,”

            “can I be honest about something else, while we are at it?”

            “Sure,” Ashlyn never broke her focus from Ali.

            “I’ve never gone out on a date with anther women before. It’s a little scary,”

            Ashlyn smiled, “I figured as much,”

            “But I really do want to go out with you,”

            Ashlyn’s smile widened, “Well good.”

 

Ali looked at herself in the mirror. Ashlyn had told her to dress casual and that they would be outside. It didn’t give her a lot to work with. Ashlyn wasn’t picking her up until 6pm, so she decided to dress for when the sun went down.

            She had on capris, Nike running shoe with a racerback tank top.

            “You look great,” Ella said with a reassuring hand on Ali’s shoulder. She had been trying her best to make it up to Ali all week. She knew she shouldn’t push so hard, but she just wanted Ali to be happy.

            “Is it good for what we are doing? I know she told Erin and Erin told you,” Ali asked.

            “Perfect. You two should have fun,” Ella picked up Ali’s sunglasses, “Don’t forget these.”

            “Thanks,” Ali sighed as she took the sunglasses.

            “Take a deep breath,” Ella hugged her.

            “Its just, this is hell of a way for me to jump back into the dating scene.”

            “Sometimes things like this come out of nowhere, when you least expect them and from where you least expect them,” Ella smiled.

            The heard a knock on the door, “That must be her,” Ali said before she took another deep breath. She answered the door.

            “Hey,” Ali said as she took in the sight of Ashlyn. She was wearing tight jeans rolled and boat shoes with a slightly oversized baseball jersey. She also had on a matching baseball cap, backwards, over her long blonde hair. Ali felt like Ashlyn might be the only in the world who could pull off this particular look and still look good, no… hot.

            “Are you ready to go?” Ashlyn asked.

            “Yeah, just let me grab my bag,” Ali smiled. She grabbed her purse and keys before leaving.

            “Have fun you two!” Ella shouted at them as they walked out to Ashlyn’s jeep.           

            “Nice ride,” Ali smirked as she hopped into the car. This was exactly the type of car she imagined her driving.

            “Thanks. This thing is my baby,” She patted the dashboard lovingly before starting the engine.

            “So, I take it we are going to a baseball game?” Ali watched Ashlyn drive.

            “Yeah, what gave it away?” Ashlyn grinned.

            “I mean, they did teach us deductive reasoning in the police academy. The evidence led me to that conclusion,”

            “Ah damn. I knew I should have warn a soccer jersey, basketball shorts and some ice skates to throw you off.”

            “It wouldn’t have thrown me off as much as it would make me think you were crazy,” Ali laughed.

            “Well I kind of am,” Ashlyn smiled at Ali before returning her eyes to the road.            

            They made small talk as they drove to the baseball stadium. Ashlyn found a parking spot and they headed in. the first stop they made was for the concession stand. Ashlyn ordered them two beers, two hotdogs and a bag of peanuts.

            “Giving me the full ballpark experience, I see,” Ali eyeballed everything Ashlyn was holding.

            “Only the best for you! Now, grab the tickets form my back pocket and find out seats,” Ashlyn stuck her butt out at Ali so she could grab them.

            Ali shook her head as she retrieved the tickets, “I could help you carry that,”

            “I insist. Now, lead us on.”

            Ali laughed and they found their seats. Ashlyn only almost dropped their bounty twice as they tried to scoot through the crowd to their seats.

            When they sat down Ashlyn gave Ali her beer and hotdog. She opened the peanuts and set them on the ground between them.

            “Ah, perfect,” Ashlyn, said as she settled in and took in the view of the stadium. She had always loved going to baseball games. She hated watching the sport, but something about going to the game was fun to her. She let the familiar surroundings calm her. She was surprisingly nervous. She never got nervous, but Ali was a whole new experience.

            “So, are you a big baseball fan?” Ali asked.

            “Eh, I wouldn’t say that. I used to go to games as a kid with my brother. You couldn’t pay me to watch a game on tv, but I loving coming out to the stadium and watching a game,” Ashlyn cracked open a peanut, “How about you?”

            Ali shook her head, “I’ve never been to a game. I think I played softball for like 3 seconds once. But then I got into soccer.”

            Ashlyn chewed some peanuts before talking, “I played softball for a bit too. Also got into soccer instead. I played in college.”

            Ali’s face lit up, “No way, me too! Now I pay on team with other cops in the precinct. We play in a league with other cops and fire fighters.”

            “That sounds like it could get intense.”

            “It does, it’s a bunch of dudes who get real mad that I’m better than them.”

            “What position do you play?”

            “Outside defense, what did you play?” Ali grabbed some peanuts for herself.

            “Goalkeeper,” Ashlyn beamed proudly.

            “That makes sense,” Ali nodded, deep in thought.

            “What? Why?” Ashlyn looked at her sideways.

            “You’re a little crazy, you have to be a little crazy to play keeper,” she shrugged. Ashlyn could do nothing but shrug too, Ali was right.

            “So, what did you study in college?” Ali asked. She couldn’t begin to guess what a tattoo artist studies in college.

            “I majored in communications,” Ashlyn laughed, “Boring, I know. I kind of wish I’d have gone for business so I could help Erin with that side of things more.”

            “When did you decide to get into tattooing?”

            “Right after college, I knew I didn’t want to work a desk job. And ive always had an artistic flair, and I love tattoos. So I thought, why the hell not? Why did you become a cop?’

            Ali thought for a second, “I guess it was kind of expected of me. My uncle’s a police officer too. And as a little kid I was always fascinated with his job. It seemed interesting, and I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. And I didn’t want to be stuck at a desk job either. This way I’m out doing something active. I mean a lot of it is driving around, but you have to stay in shape so you dont become the laughing stock of the police department when one of your perps out run you. And let me tell you, very few are able to outrun me.”

            “How often do people run from you? I couldn’t imagine running from the cops!”

            Ali shrugged, “Its not super common, but people are stupid.”

            They continued on talking through out the game, pausing occasionally to cheer with the crowd. They talked with such ease, and Ali rarely hesitated to tell Ashlyn about herself. She was a little shocked by it.

            _This girl is something_. She thought.

            Ashlyn was pleasantly surprised. This wasn’t the shy, guarded girl Erin had described to her.

            When the game finished they filed out of the stadium with the rest of the crowd. They walked side by side to the parking lot. Ali decided to take a risk and took Ashlyn’s hand in hers. Ashlyn raised her eyebrows at the development, but didn’t say anything for fear of scaring her off.

            When they got to the jeep Ashlyn opened Ali’s door for her, then jogged around to the other side and got in herself. But she didn’t start the jeep right away.

            “So, was that a date? Or just two people getting to know each other?” She asked.

            Ali answered by leaning closer. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She slowly and gently pressed her lips to Ashlyn’s. What was only 3 seconds long felt like an hour. When they pulled away, all Ashlyn could do was breath out. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath. She smiled ear-to-ear, “wow.”

            “Wow is right,” Ali leaned back and looked surprised, “Did I just do that?”

            Ashlyn nodded, “And I sure am happy you did.”


End file.
